Basement Pantry: Making Do

When we made the decision that THIS WAS THE HOUSE, I knew the kitchen was a bit tight. Luckily there is a huge basement under almost the entire house, so the answer to everything became, “We’ll just put it in the basement!”

Our old basement was a basement-basement. Dark, dreary, low ceilings. This one in a step up for us. It’s not finished, but it is painted, has higher ceilings, and a decent amount of light, which translates to actual, usable space.

Right off the laundry area is a closet under the stairs. Just the perfect size for kitchen overflow!

Did it look like this when we moved in? NO!

It was dark and dreary and needed some love. So we went all Pinterest on it!

Luckily there was a nice long wall just begging for storage. And since the previous owners packed in a bit of a hurry, they left lots of white laminate shelving behind. We were going to install an Elfa shelving system, but instead we repurposed the somewhat worn shelving. I like the sound of free! (Once Neil convinced me, that is. I had my heart set on the Elfa.)

To really transform, it only took paint. Neil strapped on a ventilator and sprayed that puppy white. Should have seen him when he came out. His hair was completely white. A preview of our golden years!

Here’s some detail shots of how it’s organized.

I like when like things are grouped together visually; don’t you?

The pots of the wall are hanging from a cast iron rack I brought down from the kitchen. I don’t use these often, so they can live down here.

Remember the “clown car” shade from the first coat in the kitchen? I used it here for an accent wall. Love it!

It sets off the decorative tray perfectly! (Yes, I got creative with a way to hang the tray. I still want to be able to use it. I didn’t want sharp hooks sticking out, so I found these two thingamajigs in the tool caddy. Score!)

Good thing there is empty space in the pantry. I’m still tweaking the kitchen, and I’m going to have to relocate a few more items to give me some more elbow room.